Over the Garden Wall needs a thread, and that's a rock fact!

who else is gonna marathon this for Halloween?

 

A+ thread title, good job

 

I thought about what to name the thread for a couple of days because I'm a huge nerd an it had to be perfect (and that's a rock fact)

 

The AMV that convinced me to watch the series

 

I'm planning to watch it tomorrow, yes ouo my girlfriend and i are having a halloween movie marathon, because that is our jam, so i plan to make about two hours of that an OTGW fest, since she hasn't seen it before and i've seen it so many times. so many.

after the first time i watched it all i stayed up for hours thinking back to all the little hints and details i hadn't noticed at first... there's so much to REALIZE in otgw, a lot is set up for last two episodes that you don't notice at first, like the moon being half full, the suspicious sudden winter after all this fall harvest talk, and their weird costumes... anyway, yeah, if it's in my power, i'll be rewatching this show tomorrow ouo

 

There's so many films I want to watch tomorrow, but I've been thinking about watching OTGW again instead of 1 or 2 of them not sure if it will happen but it might.

 

Did you catch the name on the gravestone though?

 

yesss

basically the most popular fan theory is that the unknown is limbo/the afterlife, and there is a ton of evidence to support that (like the gravestone, divine comedy references, how it was planned on being limbo while working on the original concept of the series, "our long bygone burdens merely echoes of the spring"), but the creator said it makes sense, but there are other options too. I personally like the theory too that it's about mental illness.

Wirt is obviously anxious and depressed (which is partially why I am irked with analysis that says that cowardice and selfishness are his defining character flaws he has to overcome). He reminds me a lot of myself when I was a kid. Not thinking he is good enough to compared to the other kids, he pours himself into his music and poetry but it too scare to share it with anyone else even if he wanted to, his indecision about everything. Any little thing that happens is suddenly THE END OF THE WORLD EVERYTHING IS RUINED FOREVER.

and just... the first episode man. *hears someone chopping wood, out in the middle of the forest* "do you you think it's some kind of deranged lunatic with an axe waiting out there in the darkness looking for innocent victims?" Like, I remember when I was a kid and I was paranoid about strangers walking by secretly being murders who were gonna shoot me in the face. I feel you kid. I feel you.

 

I really love the way this show flip-flops situations and people between innocuous and ominous, and it's anyone's guess which they will end up being.

I would say that Wirt's defining character flaw would be his willingness to let his frustration with his brother turn to blaming him, and the minute he moves past that, they break free of the woods.

#when Beatrice mentioned that the ferry cost two coins, though #paused the video and went #i recognize that reference and do not like it one bit #for like two minues straight

 

I thought of Wirt's defining flaw being that he was overly anxious and lacked faith in himself.

And speaking of references. Beatrice as a guide through the afterlife (I forget how many episodes before I realized that one), made all the stronger since she's a blue bird what with birds being a common symbol for the soul/form for psychopomps, and I know I've seen at least one thing where bluebirds were specifically the souls of those who died happy. Plus the trees, that was the one where I was like o.O I... I... ):

That said I do think to call the Unknown just a metaphor for Limbo is too simplistic. Wirt has to overcome his lack of self-confidence, and defeatist attitude, step up and take his responsibilities he's been hiding from (I would say due to anxiety and ultimately not believing he can handle them, it's easier to say "I'm not my brother's keeper" than deal with "WHAT IF I FAIL HIM?!?" every day). I also sort of want to get into how it's Wirt's hero's journey in a very monomythic sense.

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I find Wirt very easy to relate to.
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Edit: And I ended up re-watching the series.

 

it's kind of interesting watching the series with my friend, who has a little sister. (I'm the youngest of my family) When I watch the series I have more focus on how anxious and depressed Wirt is, and while she recognizes that something is definitely Not Right, she comes from a place where he really needs to buck up because he has a little brother he needs to protect.

 

Upon rewatching though, I feel really bad for Greg. He's not just the goofy kid. He's so selfless for his age, I feel like he knows something's wrong with his brother and he really tries to take care of him and cheer him up. Go back to the scenes where Wirt is really depressed, and Greg will spout a goofy rock fact, or scenes where he is in doubt of himself and Greg will try to boost his confidence. I've been in both of those places and shit's rough. It makes me question where their parents are in all of this.

 

That's what I focused on for most of it the first time I watched it, and the first time I got pissed at Wirt when he pushed the leadership role onto Greg most of the way through. The thing is after watching it the first time I kept dwelling on Wirt's anxiety and general pessimism, and found myself noting it more on the rewatch; maybe because the only time he didn't know Greg was relatively safe his first instinct was rush to find his brother even if it meant wandering about blindly in a blizzard.

And yeah, Greg is a good kid. My relationship with my older brother was not the best so can't say I ever was in Greg's shoes. I think Wirt even knows this. As for their parents, the dad at least is mentioned in Episode 9, Wirt seems to have issues with him encouraging Wirt to do things like join marching band. I got the feeling Greg resembles his dad.

 

If anyone hasn't listened to it yet, here is the official For Sara tape
Around 11 minutes into the tape there is a little clip of Wirt's dad and baby Wirt, which is adorable. I wonder if he's dead or his parents just divorced. In any case there seems to be some friction between Wirt and his step-dad.

 

We watched it! She liked it, which is good, because I would have felt very sad if she did not. On reflection, the assumption that they're in a liminal afterlife of some kind isn't really fan theory, it's kind of the only explanation for what is happening, unless you want it to be a dream, I guess, which doesn't really work because it's shared and has clear consequences on reality. See Wirt only opening his eyes to save them both after resolving his issue, being judged, perhaps, and deciding he has to save Greg, and see the clear 'it's getting colder and colder because YOU ARE DROWNING IN AN ICY RIVER' symbolism. It was obvious to my girlfriend, at least, that that's what is happening.

@liminal God, does Greg kill me with his honest selflessness and compassion. The fact that he's been eaten up about stealing a rock this whole time, which is SO authentically childlike, makes my eyes start prickling every time. Wirt was given only one lesson to learn, and he got it in the first episode: you are the elder child, and both you and your brother are your responsibility. Don't lose him, guide his choices, and for pity's sake, don't talk down to or undervalue this sweet child. I don't think it's a coincidence that they got to leave when Wirt learned that.

That said, as this is my... fourth?... watch of the whole series, I have decided what my absolute favorite thing about it is, and that is the soundtrack.

A single soul sets its voice singing/ content to be slightly forlorn...

 

My sisters and I sing the cute little song Greg made up about going to Adelaide's sometimes. It's really fun.


Also potatoes and molasses

 

I really love this series. Both of the main characters remind me of different bits of me and my sister, so there's that.
I watched it with a bunch of my friends, and that was just a great experience.

 

going over the composer's cut to listen to the background music. Interesting to not that The Beast's "tralalala" song he sometimes sings is creepier than usual when you listen to the whole thing:

 

That is, in fact, super godsdamn creepy. It's basically just TURN INTO A TREE K THANKS

 

also singing about how fragile children are

HOW ABOUT NO, HOW ABOUT WE DON'T TARGET CHILDREN WITH SUICIDAL DEPRESSION, CAN WE DO THAT, BEAST? CAN WE JUST DO THAT?
HOW ABOUT WE DON'T DO THAT FOR AT LEAST FOR 5 MINUTES OK? OK.